Ryukage: Dragon Shadow
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Naruto found something in the Scroll of Sealing that was never meant to be found. An art as ancient as time itself. But will this newfound power save him, or condemn him forever? And why is the Akatsuki so interested in it? Dark!Narutoxharem! Lemons!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:WARNING! This is dark! Pitch black! Obscenely and dangerously! so! Lemons will be involved later on with our favorite pairings, and there will be heavy Sasuke and Konoha bashing throughout I hope you all enjoy! And be prepared for an interesting surprise, everyone! I certainly hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it! XD**

_I spare neither friend nor foe, for I am wrath incarnate. Fear me, those who have spurned me, for I come to thee tonight._

_~Uzumaki Naruto._

_**Ryukage**_

Mountains shouldn't scream, but this one did.

The agony of the rock vibrated beneath the paws of a small, brown squirrel crouched low behind a boulder near the summit. The frigid night air thrummed in sympathetic harmony with the mountain, blurring the light from a shooting star trailing crimson fire across the sky. Shadows shattered and reformed, their shapes subtly altered. The squirrel sat up on its hind legs and looked to the sky, its glittering eyes following the path of the red star as it burned across the sky toward the east.

Toward Konoha.

Its puny mind could not comprehend why this streak of scarlet descended upon the village. Nor it could it know that as it watched the red star, so too was it being watched. It had only a moment to turn, its tail bushing in surprise, before a plated fist burst from the soil and pulped its body like an orange. Tossing aside what had once been a squirrel, the hand tore at the soil in search of a handhold. Upon finding one, a second hand emerged from the trembling earth, clawing its way to the surface. Then a third, followed by a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth, until three pairs of hands poked into the raiment of heaven, as if to grasp at the red star that soare aloft on wings of wrath and flame.

A low, sonorous roar broke the ground for a final time, seizing it and shaking it violently as the earth imploded for miles around. Entire armies descended from the treetops, making for Konoha at full tilt, heedless of the arrows and kunai that rained down upon them. Soon the battle was joined; and soon, their masters revealed themselves from the very depths of the earth as they emerged from their travels once more.

Revealed were three shinobi.

The first brushed clods of dirt from his armor; a slim metal carapace that both clung to the contours of his frame and was loose at the same time, providing for maximum range of movement with minimal strain upon the joints. He smiled up from the chasm as he swept his hand up and through his hair, the blond mess perfecting itself at the touch of his fingertips. His smile had returned, but it did not reach his eyes; those pools of deep, emphatic sapphire that shone under the night sky as he tore himself from his unlikely tomb.

_"Weak."_ The man snarled, spitting on the squirrel's desecrated corpse, his eyes flaring a hideous crimson as the 'squirrel' vanished in a plume of smoke, replaced by the once proud remains of a Konoha shinobi. Flinging the ruined corpse aside, he dragged himself to the rim of the crater and pulled himself over it.

"That jutsu was awful." He murmurred to himself. "Remind me never to try that again, Yugito-chan." Beside him, a soft feminine sigh could be heard as a flaxxen haired blond extricated herself from the earth and flopped down beside him. She bore a scratched hitiate of Kumo upon her forehead, much like the battered Konoha hitiate her accomplice wore. She was also covered in grime from their days spent underground, and equally displeased by it.

"Travelling underground was _your_ idea, wasn't it?" she scowled, staring at the ruined remnants of her attire. "Just look what it did to my outfit! Why couldn't you have let one of your 'friends' take us to Konoha?" She stole a glance at the sky, at this flaming "star", which was not a star at all. If one looked closely, one might have seen that said star was covered in scarlet scales, bearing both wings and claws and a tail. It was a creature as ancient as time itself, and one thought to be lost from this world.

It was a dragon.

The blond laughed suddenly and laid a hand upon her cheek, drawing her attention away from the great beast hurtling through the heavens.

"Don't be like that, Yugito-chan." he whispered seductively, his lips brushing the outer lobe of her ear. "Igneel would never consent to carry the three of us on his back. He barely tolerates me when I summon him!" Another laugh as he drew her closer. "Besides, you look absolutely ravishing right now." He made no further mention of her attire; because her lips were suddenly pressed against his, stifling any other semblance of speech. Her heart trilled as she tasted his lips against her tongue, an indsecripable, lovely sensation that she could give no words or meaning to, such was her feelings for him.

The kunoichi groaned as his arm wrapped around her waist; as she spooned her body against him in the dirt.

The former Cloud kunoichi's outfit was indeed in tatters. The form fitting clothing had been torn and shredded at the waist, revealing her tan stomach, exposing her curves, and accentuating the dip of her waist. The lower portion of it held, fitting snugly against her rear, but as it reached her knees, it seemed that the legs of the fabric had been torn away, by a ragged edge. The upper portion of her shirt was relatively intact, but still the fabric clung tightly to her well-endowed chest that could rival even that of Lady Tsunade's ample bosom.

It had been the same way when they'd first met; although he hadn't been anywhere near as gentle with her as he was now. She'd encountered her fellow nukenin as she fled from the Akatsuki. He'd blown through the blocked passage like a hurricane and set upon them like a demon. She'd forced to watch, to watch as he tore the Akatsuki duo limb from limb before turning on her in a rage. It was only when he realized that she too, was a jinchuuriki, that he'd stayed his hand. Those red eyes, looming over as he prepared to deliver the final blow, had awoken something in her; an emotion that she'd never felt before, not even in the prescence of Killer Bee.

_Admiration._

With time had come understanding, and with understanding had come intimacy. Now, three years after their destined meeting, they and another had come to lay waste to the village responsible for her beloved's torment. They, the few jinchuuriki that remained, had rebelled against their villages, choosing instead to live in freedom, rather than being sequestered within their own villages that loathed them so.

"Are you just going to lie there all night, _Ryukage-sama?"_ A third voice hissed, interrupting them. Yugito sighed, the moment forever ruined in her mind. She sat up, leveling a deadly glare at the shadow that had fallen over them; at the one who had so rudely spoken and interrupted their embrace. She accepted the hand that was offered however, a look of scathing scorn etched into her face as she was hoisted to her feet.

"Fu," Yugito began slowly, glaring at the mint-haired girl, "I swear...one of these days, I'm going to kill you." The tailed kunoichi ignored her, smiling mirthlessly as she raked both hands across her forehead, deliberately smearing mud across her caramel skin. Still grinning, she pushed past the former Cloud kunoichi, moving toward her fellow blond as he adjusted the last remnants of his armor and cleaned them of debris.

"I thought it was a brilliant idea." She all but purred, brushing her cheek against the blonde's whiskered one. "Naruto-sama." Yugito shot her rival a withering glare. Fu was as near and dear to Naruto's heart as any other, but the thought of losing to _her_ made her blood boil. Fu was the vessel of the Seven-Tails. The Nanabi. Whereas Yugito only held the Two Tailed beast, the Nibi. Fu was stronger than her. And in times such as these, she went out of her way to prove it to her beloved Naruto-sama. She was fiercely _fiercely _protective of the man that she considered to be her mate; this man who held the gift of summoning dragons.

Thanks to the secrets sealed within the Scroll of Sealing, the blond now held the fabled technique of Ryu no Kuchiyose, otherwise known as Dragon Summoning. When he fled his village to found another, she knew not. She knew only that he'd found Fu first and her bond with him was as timeless as the ages. As the jinchuuriki of Konoha Naruto was feared and scorned by his village. Moreso, when he began to gather the other Jinchuuriki to his cause. As the Ryukage, as the legendary Dragon Shadow, he was a force to be reckoned with, and now all feared him. As they should. He'd already laid waste to the Land of Grass as an example of his power. He was not to be crossed. Those who allied themselves with him, as Kiri had, would be spared. Those who did not; those who'd dared to wrong him such as Konoha and Akatsuki had, would be obliterated. Those allied with _them_ would also be extinguished, without fear, without hesitation, without mercy. Yugito knew this for a fact; because Naruto uttered those words like an oath to her in year that they'd truly become 'acquainted' with one another.

Naruto was going to start a war.

He was going to plunge headlong into the Fourth Shinobi war, and he was going to win. Already the Land of Waves the Land of Spring, _and_ the Land of Birds were allied with them, recognizing the village as befitting that of a true Shinobi. That was were there allies ended. Save for Kiri and Suna, Ryugakure was not recognized by the others as an official Shinobi village, being that it had no Dayimo to hold its Kage in check. All of that was about to change. With Konoha's destruction, the Feudal Lord of Fire would be forced to recognize their supremacy. If not, their brilliant tactician had already devised a contingency plan in case of such an event.

Tonight, however, Konoha would burn. Tomorrow, an invitation would be issued to all the remaining Kage; a formal request to covene at the Land of Iron for the Summit of the Five Kage. The following morning...well, that was another matter for another time.

"Ryukage-sama," Yugito said tersely, "I _hate_ to interrupt, but it seems that they've spotted us."

Fu sulked as Naruto broke away from her, unfurling the Scroll of Sealing from his shoulders. Laying it upon the fractured terra firma, the blond raised both hands and began the ritual to summon a creature even more terrifying than the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Greater than perhaps all the nine Bijju combined, this creature commanded both fear and respect in equal measure.

"I know, Yugito-chan." Naruto sighed, coming back to them at last. She could see them, she could see the shinobi approaching in the distance, and so could Naruto. Biting his thumb, he slammed his palm against the ravaged earth, grinning as smoke splayed against the blood between his fingers. "Well, I suppose its high time we reminded them of their place, don't you think?"

Both of his life-mates nodded, to which Naruto drew blood from his free hand and placed it upon the first.

_"Kuchiyose no jutsu."_

An overpowering sensation of pressure bore down upon her like an invisible hand. She sensed something enormous nearby, silent in the dark, like a giant passing within arms reach. A gravid deadly prescence too huge to grant her notice. She glanced to Naruto and saw him grimace, fingertips pressed against the earth as summoning lines scrawled across it. A droplet of blood fell from his nose and struck them.

**_Rrrrrrggggh..._**

With a deep-throated growl, something rose from the blackness of the scroll. It spread its great, leathery wingspan and growled at this offensive creature that had summoned it to do battle. Naruto said nothing. He simply bowed, showing his respect to this creature, second only to the fabled Dragon King himself. He genuflected, never once takinbg his eyes away from this black beast that loomed before him. The silence was deafening; broken only by the cries of the Konoha shinobi as Ryugakure's forces fell upon them en masse. And at last, Naruto broke it.

"Greetings, _Acnologia."_He straightened, refusing to show an ounce of fear before his summons. "I take it you are well?"

The great dragon huffed, expelling a cloud of soot from its nostrils. It was not pleased.

**"Why have you summoned me, human?" **Yugito flinched as an ear-shattering crack resounded throughout the land. Such was the speech of the Dragon-tongue. Like the thunder it took the earth and shook it, threatening to overturn the world at a moments notice. The dragon glared at its summoner with a baleful glare, balefully regarding him through its hooded lids.

"I have summoned you so that your kin might take back what was once yours." Naruto replied calmly. "Your domain stretches before you, consumed by hatred and war, just as I said it would be upon your return. Does that not please you, oh Lord of Chaos?" Yugito felt the beast's attention shift, turn towards her and Fu, regarding them as though they were but two pieces of meat.

**"And who are these women that you bring before me, stripling?"** Acnologia demanded, sniffing harshly. **"They bear the same stench as you do, Dovakin." **Sheer arrogance pulsated from those glowing orbs of malevolence, and for a moment, Yugito feared that the dragon would simply consume them. That fear was shattered by their words, as Naruto gently laid a hand within her own, then that of Fu's.

"I have brought them before you to ask for your blessing." Naruto explained.

**"And why is that?"**

"Because...they are to be my wives." Naruto said nonchalantly. Yugito felt her face darken from her lover's nonchalance. Likewise, she could see that Fu bore a cherry pink flush all her own. Even Acnologia seemed taken aback. Strange. She'd never seen a startled dragon before. But to think_...that Naruto actually intended to marry them!_ Her face began to burn as she contemplated it. Naruto and her. Bright-eyed little blonde's playing at their feet. Raising a family together. The thought of sharing him with Fu _was_ disheartening, but to be able to marry him, to hold his hands in hers as they exchanged their vows was just...

_...too wonderful to resist._

For a moment the dragon said nothing. Then:

**"You have done well...for a human." **It raised a claw and brought it down upon a might oak, tearing it from its roots as easily as one would weed. **"Very well! You have my blessing, Dovakin! May you and your kin live long and prosper!"**

Just like that, it was over.

The Dragon Prince flapped his wings but once, and then he was gone. A bone rattling roar shook the lands as it hurtled through the darkness, bulleting toward Konoha in all its ebony glory. It hurtled past the great red star that was Igneel and alighted upon the Five Stone Faces, issuing a prideful roar of defiance towards all those who dared to look a pon its glorious descent; its tail shattering gates, its breath scattering its foes to the winds.

"What do we do now, Naruto-sama?" Fu asked.

Naruto released their hands and grinned a wicked grin. Already they could see the skin peeling from his flesh, the first signs of his Kyuubi Cloak as it wept blood. Before long, three tails of crimson chakra billowed out behind him. And more, as he stalked down the hill toward his former home, his former crawl bursting into an all out run as his two mates joined him.

_"Now...we go to war!"_

**A/N: Ha! Hope you liked the little bit of Skyrim that I inserted there! Anywho, this my first NartuoxFuxYugito fic so please be nice! I simple adore these two, and see them as kindred spirits of sort when compared to Naruto. I mean, all three knew what it was like to grow up hated in their own villages, shunned and reviled by those they were sworn to protect. Consider this a bit of a teaser, as we see just what it was that led Naruto to go over the edge and declare unholy war upon Konoha in the coming chapters. But still! Epic Naruto Harem! NOTE! In terms of timeline, I would say that this takes place _before_ Jiraiya's death at the hands of Pain, meaning that our Ero-Senin may yet live...if I'm feeling merciful. Not everyone in Konoha was a totall ** toward Naruto, some examples are Tsunade and Jiraiya and co. but if they're in Konoha when he gets there...it won't be pretty. And one final thing!**

**Does anyone care to guess what made Naruto-kun leave the village? Whomever gets it right will get a cookie!**

**R&R! =D**


	2. This is why we can't have Nice things!

**This is why we can't have nice things!**

_The destruction of Konoha made Naruto think. It made him remember. All he had done. All he had sacrificed. Everything, all so that he might have peace. Raising Konoha to the ground was a part of that, true, but his work had yet to truly begin. There was still the matter of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Of Sasuke and the other Shinobi villages. Of Uchiha Madara and whatever fiendesh plan he's concocted. Back then, he hadn't known such pivotal players. Nor that he would become one. Back then, the famed ability to summon dragons came as a blessing a curse._

_A blessing, in that he was able to learn-and train!-under his reptilian mentors as many times as he pleased. A curse, as he could not dispel them at his whim. The dragons had once ruled this land-just as they'd once nested in the gorge that would one day become Konoha-and they were loathe to leave their ancestral homes. This was their land, and it belonged to them. Just as it would one day belong to the Ryukage and his wives. Yugito-chan and Fu-chan were but two of them; the pair he'd deigned to bring with him as they burned the Leaf to the ground. That, and because it was fitting. Fitting, in that the jiinchuuriki, once feared and loathed and hated by all-just like Haku's clan-would now wreak chaos across the lands who'd once enslaved them. Jiinchuuriki and bloodline users-including the Yuki clan-both, Naruto's force was one to feared. And none of it would have been possible had he not stolen the Scroll of Sealing. _

_Everything began on that day. He didn't believe in fate, but looking back, he was probably destined to find it. The jutsu that forever changed his life. The jutsu that garned not respect as he'd initially surmised, but fear amidst the Leaf. Naruto didn't mind. He didn't want their respect. He didn't need it. Let them fear him. Let them tremble. Let them pray to their precious kami as the quivered in their homes and hid in their corners as they awaited his wrath. Because the time was nigh._

_Tonight, on a long-awaited anniversary, the Ryukage had come home._

_(Several years earlier)_

Uzumaki Naruto had just opened the Scroll of Sealing. All he had to do was learn a jutsu. One jutsu, and then he would pass the exam! Or so Mizuki-sensei had told him. But which one? Which one did he want to learn? There were so many! The Shadow Clone Jutsu. The Edo Tensei. And then, at the very back of the scroll after peering at countless jutsu, there was one that caught his attention. He saw the word "Ryu" which meant Dragon, but the rest of it was too faded to decipher.

_Huh?_

Naruto peered at the scroll, squinting in the gloom. He slid his hand across the parchment in an effort draw it closer...and slit his finger. Naruto cursed sulphurously. He failed to notice the lone droplet of blood that splattered upon the scroll. Failed to notice, as it began to glow, illuminating the contents within. He came across the word "Kuchiyose" almost immediately. He recalled that it stood for Summoning. _Wait a second._ "Ryu no Kuchiyose." Dragon Summoning. His eyes grew wide and large.

"G-Guess its a good thing I didn't get blood on it...crap." It was in that precise instant that he noticed his thumb, still bleeding from the papercut, still leaking crimson as the scroll stained itself scarlet. He had just enough time to realize his blunder before a plume of white smoke blinded him.

And then the world shook.

A deafening roar sounded from the sky, so loud it beat down upon Naruto like a physical force. It drowned out everything. He covered his ears and doubled over, his head threatening to explode from the pain. The sound seemed to go on forever, and only when it stopped did he finally dare to look up. Naruto had seen pictures of dragons before-there was a faded mural in the Hokage's office, and it showed a dragon surrounded by a group of shinobi with kunai and nets. It seemed to struggle against its attackers, but was heavily wounded and losing the battle. Naruto had always thought it looked noble, a beast wrongly hounded by men that refused to see its savage beauty.

That dragon was nothing like this one.

The dragon that filled the dark sky was a behemoth, and it didn't have a body covered in smooth scales. It was all muscle and sinew, blanketed by harsh flames that swept out towards the treetops and leveled them. Dull red in coloration, it glinted in the moonlight, the air shimmering before its firey approach. Like someone had taken fire and flame and constructed a dragon out of it.

_"Shit!"_

There was no time to react. The dragon descended upon the forest with the force of an earthquake. Naruto tried to dive out of the way, but the massive wings of the beast beat once and sent a hurricanelike wind sweeping through the trees. He was lifted up, along with many of the trees themselves, and flung through the air. He slammed against a nearby bough, hard.

The world spun around him. Naruto found himself on the ground, gasping for breath and wincing at the pain running through his body. He felt disoriented. There were people yelling but he couldn't tell where they were. He reaced out and his fingers closed around the Scroll of Sealing, immaculately intact despite the inferno consuming the clearing. He pulled it into his chest and held it there, determined to keep it safe despite the chaos raging around him.

The dragon roared again, louder this time. It was little more than a giant black mass to Naruto, the smoke being sucked into the trees by its beating wings almost too thick to see through. He scrambled to his feet in a panic, only to have himself deafened by an earsplitting snarl. Thunder shook the forest as both struck his eardrums. Even though it seemed unhurt, the beast spread its wings in fury.

_**"WHO DARES?"**_

Naruto staggered, driven to the ground by the sheer hate in its voice.

**"Who!"** A voice boomed overhead. **"Who dares summon me to this realm! Who rouses me from my slumber! Speak! Speak so that I may know your name, you impudent sack of flesh!" **Naruto dared not speak, and the dragon yowled in aggravation when it failed to find the one who had summoned it.** "Do you mean to anger the one and only Igneel!" **

The dragon reared up, its serpentine neck curling. It then lunged forward, belching a blast of black flame from its mouth. Naruto watched in horror as the forest was engulfed, and for a moment he thought he was surely dead. Then as the smoke cleared,

But then it twisted around, swatting at the boy as though he were an annoying fly. The dragon spun around, and Naruto barely saw the tail, swinging toward him as he leapt aside. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a nearby oak, leveled beneath the beast's legs. The sight of it drove strength into his legs. He didn't want to be crused! Not by this monster! He had to get away, get help, get anywhere but here! Anywhere-

**"Reveal yourself!" **It bellowed a challenge into the sky. Each downward thrust of its wings sent winds screaming in every direction. Trees were flattened. Mountains leveled in the blink of an eye. Rocks flew, bodies flung about, and Naruto with them. He scramed in terror and flopped down as the air suddenly stilled. Flailing, he recovered and hit the ground running.

The air shifted overhead and he ducked. One of the creature's hand passed right over his head, each talon curled and shiny white. In those glistening white claws, he saw his reflection and in his horrifed expression he saw what was about to happen next. Naruto turned and saw the dragon inhaling.

"You have gotta be-

Then the air erupted into flame. He felt his flesh stirring in response to the fire, heard the crackle of embers randomly striking things around him. Several came close, and he danced around out of the way...only to be confronted with the dragon looming over him. Two baleful black eyes stared down, full of malevolence and deep as forever. Its lips curled arounds fangs as large as his arm and with a contemptuous snort the gaping jaws lunged down toward him.

It seemed to happen so slowly. He saw its forked tongue, the dripping saliva, the ridges of healthy pink gums lining the inside of its mouth. Tendrils of flame licked across each tooth. The dragon's breath stank of soot and sulfur. This was it. He was going to die. He was sure of it. He couldn't escape; because there was no escaping this flame broiled creature that sought him so relentlessly.

**"There!"**

The air left his lungs; driven from his body as the beast pounced, talons extended. The jaws snapped shut, just short of his body. His head kissed an iron root as the earth burst beneath him. Pinned by the beast's talons, he was helplessly to do anythinb but watch as the crimson dragged its massive heard toward him. It huffed, showering an irritable breath of mucus down upon him. At length, it spoke.

**"Boy,"** The dragon known as Igneel growled, **"Are you the one who summoned me?"**

"I...

**"DO NOT LIE!"** The beast bellowed. **"Do so and I shall swallow you whole!"**

Naruto nodded meekly.

**"If you _have_ summoned me, then you are of the Dovakin."** It uttered the word with reverence. **"It has been many an age since their time." **It pushed him deeper into the earth, cracking a rib.** "And I see that you are indeed such a one. Your blood stains the scroll, as true as day." **Naruto felt a touch of pride at that but chose to remain silent instead and ask another question.

"Dova...what?"

The great dragon growled, softly this time.

**"The ignorance of your kind astounds me." **Igneel stretched its wings outward, extinguishing the flames around them with a nary an effort.** "I mean to say that you've dragon blood within your veings, stripling!" **When Naruto continued to stare, the dragon finally grew angry. **"Only a Dovakin such as you has any right to summon myself and others of my kind! Now speak! Why am I here! Why have you summoned me!"**

_"Woah!"_

The dragon's large teeth were glistening directly in front of Naruto's face, and its breath was incredibly hot. He'd forgotten just how swiftly Igneel could move when provoked, a fact that he would likely not forget in the near future. Nothing was said for several more tense moments, until finally the dragon pulled back. Naruto couldn't tell for sure, it was hard to guess what the dragon's expression held, but he could have sworn Igneel was smiling.

The dragon lashed out suddenly, its tail cracking against the bushes, eliciting a bloodcurdling scream. Seconds later, the petrified from of Mizuki landed at Naruto's feat, dead by suffocation. Igneel huffed haughtily and explained this to the boy.

**"Why is that you have summoned me, Dovakin?"** Igneel asked. **"What is it that you desire?" **It peered at him for a moment longer before it seemed to divine what he was thinking; understanding him, though the boy had yet to say so much as a word. Naruto did not ask for wealth. He did not demand happiness, nor that others love him. If Igneel had been expecting such a request, then he was sorely dissapointed.

**"Strength?"** Igneel was incredulous, rearing its head back to express this emotion. **"You desire the strength of a dragon? It is not easy to come by. You will suffer a terrible trial if you wish to take up the mantle of your blood, Dovakin." **Naruto said nothing, but rather stood his ground. What did it matter anymore? He already knew what lurked within him, of the tenant inhis stoamch. What was so wrong with desiring power if it was to protect those important to him? **"You are certain? Very well. I ask only one thing in return before we begin. Bring before me a woman for whom you have great affection, and she, you."**

Naruto blinked.

"A...woman?"

**"Yes, a woman!" **Igneel gnashed his teeth,** "I have left my son behind in another realm, though it pains me to do so, so you must honour my request!. If I and my kin are to train you, then I would know that you intend to passs that training down to your offspring. For that you will require both the blessing of the Dragon Prince and many mates, or wives, as your kind tend to call them."**

"W-What?"

**"You have three months to find yourself a suitable bride."** Igneel continued reaching a scaly claw into the boy's chest, now poking and prodding him gently.** "Once you do, I and my bretheren shall teach you the intricate nuances of our kind. But for now, I mark you, Dovakin! I mark you as ours so that others will see you as we see you and know the truth of what you are." **By the time Naruto reallized this, his cheeks were awash with flame, both of the real and ethereal sort. As tangible as tears. As palpable as flesh. He touched a hand to it, to this strange circular marking against his chest, then bent to retrieve the Scroll of Sealing.

Now it was Igneel's turn to show a weak smile; extending a scaly paw for the scroll as he did so.

**"That, also belongs to us."** he explained. "**It contains secrets, secrets we first gave to the humans. I know that you have leard the Kage Bunshin from it, as well as the jutsu to summon my kind, but the knowledge within is no longer deserving of human lore. Entrust it to me, Dovakin, and it shall be safe upon your return." **Naruto looked up and considered thanking his newfound mentor, but he never got the chance. Scarce had he delivered the Scroll of Sealing than the dragon snatched it up, its tongue shooting out to wrest the scroll from his hand; its jaws snapping shut around the sealed parchment before he could otherwise protest.

By the time he did, Igneel had already vanished.

**A/N: Hope you liked Igneel's entrance! Now, cookies for those of you who got it right! Naruto leaves soon after acquiring the ability to summon Dragons, but not quite yet. If you thought the Bridge mission was violent before...yeesh! I did say it was going to be a harem now, did I not? That being said, I truly and sincerely hope you enjoy this second chapter, and this fic!**

**R&R! =D**


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